Change of Heart Drabble
by TwilightWarrior88
Summary: Chick, Lightning, and a pivotal encounter with mud. What can a little wet dirt reveal about a car you thought you knew?


Drabble for Twilit Violet's DA Cars Drabble Challenge, involving Lightning, Chick, drying, echo, and muddy.  
This came out a lot more sentimental then the original concept. *shrugs* Still, it makes a nice change from the two being at each other's throats all the time.  
In case the whole idea isn't clear, Radiator Springs recieved a torrential downpour that caught everyone by surprise (it is pretty deserty after all), and made the whole desert a living, breathing mud pit. Chick decided to go for a quick drive on the little dirt track (I know it has a name, but I misremember it at the moment), got caught up in some thick mud, and got stuck. *cough*

**Disclaimer**: Once again, I do not own _Cars_! I claim no ownership to the movie; all rights belong to Pixar Animation Studios. The only concept I claim is the writing of this drabble, and the ideas within. Enjoy!

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"Get me outa' here, McQueen!"  
The green race car, tires hubcap-deep in mud, glowered at a younger red car who was parked only yards away. A few specks of the muddy brown substance were flecked over his stickered green paint, and some of the smaller specks had already dried-up to an unappealing sort of grey.  
"Why?" The red car smirked, his blue eyes dancing with barely surpressed amusement, "You look like you're having fun."  
The green car gritted his teeth and glared furiously at Lightning for a moment; the expression on his grille clearly expressed the race car's desire to throw a few choice words in the younger cars direction. Deciding that descretion was the better part of valor, however, Chick simply let out an almost bark-like growl and jerked his chassis to one side. This was met almost imediatly by a yelp of pain from the green racer, as the still rapidly drying mud held firmly around his tires, despite his best efforts to free himself.  
"I mean it, McQueen," Chick snapped. His voice, already raised to shouting pitch, seemed to echo off the nearby rocks that surounded the little dirt track, "Get that rusty 'ol tow truck to pull me outa' this mud hole!"  
Lightning frowned, "For that one I might have to leave you parked there for a while longer." He turned away and started to drive away from the track; his tires made a sucking noise as he drove through some of the less trecherous mud that continued all the way to town.  
"Lightning!"  
The red race car paused, turning his chassis back to face Chick. The green car had lost what had remained of his bluster and bravado. His mustache, usually so rigid and proud, seemed to droop, and his brown eyes shone only with desperation. There was something else about him too... For a moment, Lightning was unable to put a tire on it. One more glance at the older racer, however, had the red car rooted to the spot. Chick seemed utterly deflated, a side of the green racer that Lightning had never seen before. No matter what misfortune had befallen him, wheather a wreck or loosing some big sponsorship, he'd always bounced back more brazen and cocky then before. There was none of that now, no swagger, no blazing overconfidence; just dejection, and the slightest hint of fear.  
The red race car stared unblinkingly at Chick for a moment, and Chick stared unblinkingly back. Out of the corner of his windshield, Lightning thought he saw the green car's mustache curl up scornfully in his direction, but the racer's eyes retained their desperate sheen.  
Lightning sighed, his chassis deflating slightly. There was no way he could leave Chick here, not as defeated as he looked, and one more glance from the green race car shattered any of his previous intentions to leave him stuck in the mud until he took back that comment about his best friend. It would probably never happen anyway, he mused: Even like this, Chick would still maintain his proud arrogance toward to tow truck. Better to get him out now, and get this whole thing over with.  
"Ok, ok," he muttered, chuckling slightly, "I'll go get Mater."


End file.
